This year, when the Russian Orthodox Church celebrates the 600th anniversary of the uncovering of the relics of St. Sergius of Radonezh, the words of the saint – “We will be saved by love and unity” – sound more relevant than ever said His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia.
“A very important historical event will be celebrated [on July 18, 2022], which should be accompanied by large-scale festivities,” noted the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church on April 14, during a meeting of the Organizing Committee for the preparation of the celebration of the 600th anniversary of the uncovering of the relics of St. Sergius of Radonezh.
His Holiness Patriarch Kirill emphasized that this anniversary should remind the society “of the spiritual foundation of our history, of the role of the Church in the development of Russia, of the need to affirm the Gospel truths in situations when everything in the world is so unfavorable.”
In this regard, the Patriarch encouraged those present for organizing the celebration in order to “emphasize again and again the importance of the spiritual dimension in the life of the people and the decisive influence of this spiritual dimension on the internal state of a person, which everything depends on, especially in difficult times, when the development of human civilization is accompanied by all sorts of cataclysms – not only natural, but also social, economic, and political”.
“It seems to me that the words of St. Sergius – “We will be saved by love and unity” – sound especially relevant today… But love does not appear just like that. Love is a manifestation of an inner spiritual state. A hardened heart is incapable of loving, and in order for the heart to not be made of stone, it needs to be nurtured,” said His Holiness Patriarch Kirill.
He expressed his conviction that the “stunning spiritual and patriotic example” of St. Sergius “will really help young people, and not only young people, to think about many things.”
“To think about your involvement in the fate of the Motherland, think about what personal contribution everyone can make to spiritually and materially develop the life of our people, so that our country becomes stronger,” the Patriarch added.
His Holiness Patriarch Kirill said that the program for celebrating the 600th anniversary of the uncovering of the relics of St. Sergius of Radonezh is designed for several years. Under this program, solemn services are to be held on the territory of the Holy Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra and the Moscow Theological Academy, as well as a whole range of various events.
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